The Ghost Writer (****)

The Ghost Writer. 128 mins. PG-13. Directed by Roman Polanski. Written by Robert Harris. Starring Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan, Kim Cattrall, Olivia Williams, and Tom Wilkinson.

You can knock Roman Polanski the person, but you certainly can't knock him as a filmmaker, and The Ghost Writer is just the latest proof why. Ewan McGregor gives his best performance as years as a ghost writer assigned to write the memoirs of a scandal-prone British politician (the very game Pierce Brosnan). Mysteries ensue, and Polanski builds a darkly comic, noirish atmosphere that always manages to entertain and stay one step ahead of its audience. It is a slow, methodical thriller, but certainly not a boring one. The music is great (very remniscent of Hitchcock scores), and so are the twists at the end. Worth seeking out, if you can find it playing at a theater near you.

- John